Calcium Silicate | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Calcium silicate is a synthetically produced inorganic compound used primarily as an anticaking agent in powdered foods such as baking powder, table salt, and vanilla powder. It prevents clumping and improves the flow properties of food powders.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

The EFSA ANS Panel (2018) concluded that the safety of calcium silicate (E552) as a food additive cannot be fully assessed due to insufficient toxicological data, including gaps in subchronic/chronic toxicity and reproductive toxicity studies. The original SCF group ADI 'not specified' established in 1991 has been declared obsolete by EFSA. Absorption of silicates from the gut is very low, and no confirmed genotoxicity or developmental toxicity has been identified; estimated dietary exposure for all population groups remains below the maximum antacid dose of 4 g/person/day.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
Food Standards Agency (FSA) / Food Standards Scotland (FSS) (United Kingdom)	Approved	Permitted under assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 (Annex II and Annex III) as a silicate anticaking agent. Conditions of use carried over post-Brexit.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Permitted as INS 552 in baking powder at not more than 10% under FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Permitted as anticaking agent under 21 CFR 172.410; max 2% in foods except up to 5% in baking powder. Also permitted <2% in animal feeds (21 CFR 573.260). Listed in FDA Food Additive Status List.source
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Under_review	Permitted under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 Annex II and III as an anticaking agent. EFSA (2018) re-evaluation concluded safety cannot be fully assessed due to data gaps; the 1991 SCF group ADI 'not specified' is now considered obsolete. A data call was issued; if sufficient data are not submitted, the authorisation may be revised or the additive removed from the Union permitted list.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Kidney Disease — Experimental animal studies have shown silicate nephrotoxicity potential, and EFSA noted that while no confirmed kidney effects have been found in human clinical databases, the toxicological picture for silicates including E552 remains incompletely characterised, warranting caution in those with pre-existing renal impairment.

Infants — EFSA's 2018 re-evaluation flagged data gaps in reproductive and developmental toxicity for silicates; given this uncertainty, regulatory caution is warranted for infants whose exposure on a body-weight basis may be disproportionately higher.

Pregnancy — Reliable reproductive toxicity data for calcium silicate are lacking per EFSA (2018), and the safety profile during pregnancy has not been adequately established.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. Food Additive Status List – Calcium Silicate (21 CFR 172.410). fda.gov
2FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations – Chapter 2.11, Baking Powder. fssai.gov.in
3WHO. JECFA – Calcium Silicate (WHO Food Additives Series). apps.who.int
4EFSA. Re-evaluation of calcium silicate (E 552), magnesium silicate (E 553a(i)), magnesium trisilicate (E 553a(ii)) and talc (E 553b) as food additives, 2018. efsa.europa.eu
5PubMed. Re-evaluation of calcium silicate (E 552), magnesium silicate (E 553a(i)), magnesium trisilicate (E 553a(ii)) and talc (E 553b) as food additives, 2018. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Independently researched5 citations